Elements of Witchcraft
by JBlaec
Summary: Going to a mortal college I was expecting three things: long classes, wild parties, and no magic. I wasn't expecting some psychotic group trying to burn me and my friends at the stakes. But whoever said life was normal? Especially when you're a witch? (Renamed)


_"Attention, Flight 2073A, Patola to Republic City, will be boarding in ten minutes. If you are a senior citizen or traveling with children under the age of two, please line up at the door. Again Flight 2073A will be boarding in roughly ten minutes. Thank you!"_

"Finally." I muttered tiredly. I arched my back and felt it pop in a few places. Sighing in content I wiped the crust off the corners of my eyes. We've been here for nearly two hours now.

I hated the airport. The noises were too loud, the people were overwhelming, and worse of all the flights were always late! Sometimes I think they do this on purpose just to torture us. It wouldn't surprise me. At least this time, the flight was only delayed by thirty minutes.

The last time I waited for an airship, the flight was delayed nearly an hour. Honestly things would be easier if I was allowed to fly. It would be less nerve wracking than stepping onto a metal contraption.

Right next to me my grandpa chuckled and I looked at him funnily. Grandpa always had a weird sense of humor, something one my best friends could relate with.

"What?"

"If I didn't know any better, I would say I was sitting next to a five year old. Not a young man off to college."

I snorted. "Why do you say that?"

"You frown like a child that got his toys taken away."

"I wasn't frowning, I was _thinking_."

"Ah, I forgot how hard it is for you."

"Ha, ha." I rolled my eyes. Grandpa was a mild manner man. He had no hair on his head, as he constantly shaved it off, but a white horseshoe mustache and gray eyes. He was known around the neighborhood for his famous fruit pies and harmless pranks. Apparently he also had a sharp tongue. Something my dad and I are always at the end of.

"Aren't you excited, you're going to a whole new country for school? When I was your age, I never had the opportunity..." He trailed off as he became lost in his memories.

I sighed. "I know grandpa. I am excited and grateful. I just hate airships."

Grandpa threw his head back and laughed. "A boy, who can't keep his feet on the ground, hates flying! What a concept!"

"Grandpa..." I groaned. "You know those airships don't count as flying!" I exclaimed. "Besides I don't even know why I'm going in that thing." I leaned closed to him. "You know I can fly there myself."

"And you know it is against the law to do so."

"What if I fly there on Appa?" I pleaded.

"And how do you think they will react when they see a sky bison, hmm?"

"Fine." I leaned back in my chair with my arms crossed and I _did not_ pout no matter what my grandpa says.

The two of us lapsed into comfortable silence as we waited for the boarding process to begin. My carry on rested on my lap. Though it didn't look like it, my bag actually held all of my clothes and belongings I would need. Impossible? Not really.

It was just too bad I couldn't take Appa or Momo with me on my new journey. Technically speaking, the two aren't supposed to exist. Well neither my grandpa nor me for that matter. To mortals, we're nothing more than fairytales told to children; or scare them. Which is fine in my opinion, in my neighborhood we have a bunch of scary stories about mortals. I'm willing to bet that some of them are true. But I could be wrong.

I guess that's the point of this program. Centuries of segregating ourselves from mortals have made them to be some sort of a mystery. I don't know why, but the Council decided that we had to reintegrate ourselves back if we are to better understand them and grow to respect them. My grandpa thought it was a good idea, as did many others in my neighborhood. But there were few, like my dad, which thought it was too much of a risk.

For me, I'm still guessing. Even though I was accepted into the program and going through with it, I still had doubts. It could have been easier if I went to an all witch university. I was accepted to one. But I didn't. I'm still not sure why. The easy explanation would be that I was curious, but I know there has to be more than just mild curiosity. If that was the case I could have just made a friend with a mortal around the neighborhood.

Didn't matter now, I was about to board an airship and head off to the United Republic. And I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a jumble of nerves. I've never been so far away from home or my local friends. I was the only one from my neighborhood leaving for a mortal university. Everyone else was going to witch universities all over the world. Many of my friends thought I was crazy or suicidal for doing this. I kinda think so too.

The only person that didn't judge me for my harebrain decision was my grandpa. He supported me throughout the whole thing. He didn't care that I was going to a school full of mortals. He's just proud I have a chance to go to college; something he's never been able to do. It's gonna be hard being separated from him.

"Aang." Grandpa's voice brought me back to the bustling airport. "They're letting people on now."

I looked over to the desk to see the overly cheerful attendants scanning boarding passes and allowing the passengers on board. The senior citizens and families with babies had already boarded so now it was my turn.

"Oh." I mumbled.

Grandpa laid a hand softly on my shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. He smiled softly at me and already I could feel myself calming down. "It is going to be okay, Aang. I am so proud of you."

Sighing in relief I pulled him into a hug. I could smell the ever present scent of fruit pies and it nearly made me cry from laughter. "Thank you."

"Now go out there and find me my future granddaughter-in-law."

"Grandpa!" He laughed and bade me to step in line with the mortals. A little peeved I made a funny face at him only for him to make the same one back, but somehow it looked funnier on him. The people around us probably thought we were crazy, we probably are, but I could care less. This would be the last time I see him until the end of the semester and I wanted to make the most of it.

Before I knew it, I was at the front of the line having my boarding pass scanned by a woman that wore too much perfume. "Enjoy your flight, sir!" she said with false cheer. It was almost painful to watch, seriously how does she smile and not crack her cheeks?

I looked over my shoulder to grandpa with a teary smile. I smiled reassuringly at him and waived back. Walking through the on ramp to the airship, it was almost surreal. I couldn't believe it; I was finally going to college. I was going to college! Every few seconds I had to pinch myself just to see if I was dreaming again.

The smile never left my face, even when I was forced to sit next to some guy sucking on a cob of corn, and I could feel the worry and self doubt fade away when the airship hovered into the air. I looked out my window and got a last view of the Patola Mountains off on the horizon. With the sun rising, it made them appear purple. Was it strange that I was going to miss those mountains?

 _"Attention everyone this is your captain speaking, we should arrive to Republic City by 10:30 AM tomorrow and the weather..."_ I had already fallen asleep at this point.

* * *

If I could describe Republic City in one word it would be...lively. I've seen it a lot on TV and movies. It was one of the most iconic cities in the world! I just never thought the city was so huge. There were way more skyscrapers than any I've ever seen back home. And millions of people made the city their home!

It made me wonder if the witch community was prosperous like the mortals. A huge metropolis like this would make it easier to hide.

The airship slowly descended to a spacious tarmac away from the city. I braced myself against the back of my seat and clutched the armrests when it gave a loud jolt. Only when it settled safely onto the dock did I sigh in relief and unclenched my fingers. It was a good thing I managed to sleep through half of the trip otherwise I might have gone crazy like the guy next to me.

How mortals can stand to fly in an enclosed space is beyond me. I certainly wasn't looking forward to it anytime soon. Maybe I'm the weird one but when I see a giant hunk of metal in the sky and I can't help but worry that gravity will realize it's slacking on the job and bring it crashing down. None of these thoughts come to mind when I'm the one that's flying or a sky bison. We're supposed to defy gravity, we're magic.

Chuckling at the thoughts of gravity I made my way off the zeppelin like vehicle with my bag slung over my shoulder. I followed signs for baggage claim in hopes of finding an exit out of the airport. I wasn't in such a rush, I had until eight tonight to check in, and the university was only an hour away; at least by mortal transportations.

Unfortunately I had to travel the mortal way. It was one of the conditions the Witch Council placed on students attending Taku University. I guess they wanted us to experience fully how a mortal traveled without the use of magic. It's exhausting.

My phone started to ring and vibrate and it made me jump. Face red from embarrassment and valiantly ignoring the worried looks of passersby, I pulled it out from my pockets. Another rule, we needed to use cell phones. I hate these things. Checking the caller ID, a wide smile stretched across my face and I quickly answered it. "Kuzon!" I exclaimed.

"Hey Aang, we're almost at the airport. You're there right?"

"Yeah, I just got off. I'm trying to find an exit out of this spirits forsaken place." I grumbled. I heard cackling in the background and rolled my eyes with a resign grin. "Bumi's with you?"

"Yeah..."

I frowned at Kuzon's tone. "What's wrong?"

"He's the one driving the car."

"What?!" An old lady was startled and flipped me off while stomping away. Seriously?

"Bumi can drive, you're letting him drive?"

"Not by choice. He's the only one I know with a...it's called a license right?"

"Yes it is!" Bumi sang.

" _Anyway_ , as for the driving...well we didn't crash yet."

"That makes me feel so much better." I muttered. "Maybe I should just fly to school."

"Do you even know where it is?" Bumi shouted.

"..."

"We'll be there in ten." Kuzon laughed. "Text me what terminal you'll be standing at."

"Yeah, alright." I muttered. I hanged up the phone and stuffed it back into my pocket. "Really wish I knew where it was now." No offense on Bumi, but I remember all too well when he tried to ride an ostrich-horse. His neighbors still wonder how they got a hole in their roof. If he could do that with an animal, what could he do with a car?

I should have taken driving lessons like grandpa wanted me to. Dad thought it was a horrible idea and convinced me not to take lessons. He said it was unnatural. Of course he also believes electricity is unnatural too. It took ages convincing him that it was okay to flip on the light switch. He's always been weird, even by witch's standards.

Finally, after getting turned around a few times, I made it outside the doors of the airport and waited with the other people. It took me a few minutes to remember how to text, I almost asked help from a little girl, but I managed in the end. I texted Kuzon the terminal number I was waiting by, terminal three, and waited impatiently for my two friends to show up. Still couldn't believe Bumi got a car.

Like everything else that was mortal made, it was noisy and smelled like...I think its called exhaust? Whatever, it smelled and made breathing uncomfortable. The people were in a rush, not the ones that were waiting to be picked up, but the ones driving. Every few seconds a car would honk its horn, a car would cut off another car. Pedestrians would sometimes walk in the middle of the street to cross not caring if a car was approaching. And there was always someone parked next to the sidewalk, talking on their phones. Even I know they're not supposed to do that.

In the five minutes I've been waiting, I've witnessed over a dozen near accidents and misses. "Definitely should have taken Appa." I muttered.

Suddenly a lime green SUV zoomed down the street, weaving through cars, and was getting honked at by pissed off drivers. Dread filled me and I prayed to every spirit I knew that it wasn't for me. The car screeched to a halt right before me and to my horror Kuzon jumped out of the passenger side and practically hugged the sidewalk. "Land!" he cried.

The people around us looked at Kuzon with amusement or annoyance. I groaned, Bumi drives like he rides an ostrich-horse. "Hiya Aang!" the crazy guy yelled from his car.

"Hey Bumi." I chuckled. "Did you have to traumatize, Kuzon?" I pointed to our friend rubbing the sidewalk

"He's being dramatic." Bumi waived off. "Well hop in!"

I sighed. "If you say so." I swung my bag over my shoulder and bent down to pick up my other crazy friend.

"No, I'm not going into that death trap!" he shouted.

"Well _you_ can't fly." I huffed out. I pulled him onto his feet and practically shoved him into the backseat. He protested profusely on riding in the front with Bumi.

"Aang, soon as possible, we're getting our driver's license." Kuzon groaned.

"Ye of little faith." Bumi cackled and snorted. "Buckle up!"

"Kuzon how bad is- Bumi car!" The last possible second Bumi swerved into another lane and cackled madly. Cold sweat rolled down my head and my heart nearly left my chest. I grabbed a handlebar above me and held it for dear life. "Bumi, people!" He pressed on the horn and giggled madly as they dived out of the way.

"Bumi you already have one ticket, you don't need another!"

"A what?"

"Oh don't be such a sourpuss; I know what I'm doing."

"Red light!" Kuzon and I yelled. The tires screeched and the car lurched forward as it came to a halt.

"Bumi you kill us, I haunt you from the Spirit World!"

"Aw, always ruining my fun." Bumi grumbled.

"Who the hell gave you a license?" I asked incredulously.

"Well..."

 _"Bumi?"_

"The instructor was going to fail me, until I kinda, sorta, accidentally bewitched him."

"What?!"

"Well I wasn't going to look a gift ostrich-horse in the mouth!"

"Bumi!" I shouted.

"Oh relax; I haven't gotten into any accidents."

"Not for lack of trying." Kuzon grumbled.

"We're gonna die." I groaned.

Bumi cackled again. "Not today!"

The light turned green and Bumi sped off with a wild holler.

Thankfully, Bumi's erradic driving calmed down once we left the city limits and out into the countryside. We were now on a two lane highway driving through forest covered mountains. I could relax, sorta, and unclenched my hand from the handlebar. It cramped up a while back, but no way was I letting go while Bumi swerved through the freeway lanes like a madman.

"I guess I should say thank you for picking me up."

Bumi snorted. "But you wouldn't mean it." He had me there.

"I'm getting my license as soon as possible." Kuzon muttered.

"I could give you some free lessons."

"Not on your life."

Bumi shrugged indifferently. "Your loss."

"When did you guys arrive anyway?"

"A few days ago, my mom insisted on riding the airship with me. She was convinced it would suddenly drop from the sky." Well she wasn't the only one. "I was almost afraid I would have ride back to the Fire Nation with her in case she had a panic attack." he chuckled.

"I got here last week by train. Did you know it doesn't run on magic?"

"Bumi, everything mortal made doesn't run on magic." I said evenly.

"Not this car."

"What-"

"So have you talked to your roommate yet?" Kuzon quickly intervened. He gave me a look that said to drop it and knowing Bumi it was probably for the best. That doesn't mean I'm going to forget about it later.

"No, he never answered any of my emus."

"Emails." Bumi corrected.

"Yeah those, he's either not interest or wasn't around his...mortal stuff."

"Mortal stuff?" Kuzon grinned.

"Shut up, I'm still tired. Anyway, I don't have high expectations on us hitting off. What about you guys?"

"Bumi traumatized his."

"Did not!"

"And the one I got, he's okay. So far, at least. He's a mortal and also from the Fire Nation, so at least we have that in common."

That had to be something, rooming with a mortal. I was going to room with one too. It was another one of the conditions the Council put in place. Since all freshmen were required to dorm on campus, the Council thought it would be "a learning experience and a first view look on how a mortal lives." I guess they're hoping that we come to realize that mortals aren't so difference from us.

I have my doubts, how was I gonna truly relax if I couldn't do magic in the privacy of my own room? But from what I read, there were a few places where only witches were allowed to go. I was looking forward to those places. Besides Bumi and Kuzon, I've never met other witches outside my country, actually my town.

"Hey later, when you're rested, we should go out, explore the campus." said Kuzon.

"What's it like?"

"It's a big place, there's a lot of stuff to do. And some good bars not too far from school, there's even one just for us."

"Really? What's that like?"

"If you want we can see that later on this week. We would take you now, but Mr. Minozu doesn't want us freshmen to leave the campus until he speaks with all of us."

"That's tomorrow, right?"

"Yep, you were cutting it close."

I huffed. "Yeah, that was my dad's fault."

"He still not okay with you going to a mortal school, huh?" said Bumi.

"He didn't even come to the airport to see me off."

"Ouch." the two winced. "He'll come around eventually." Kuzon said reassuringly.

"Maybe," I laughed "he can be as stubborn as an earth-witch."

"I should take offense of that right?"

"Doesn't matter anyway, I'm here now."

"We are actually." Kuzon pointed out.

Bumi drove off an off ramp that had a sign pointing to left to a town called Taku and in smaller print Taku University.

A wide grin came over my face and I looked to my two friends. Their smiles were just as wide as mine. We finally made it.


End file.
